New South Wales
Country Areas Program
Projects That Really Make a Difference!

Project Title: Real Men Read
Type: School Initiative
Coordinator/s: Ms Sandy Ellis
Participating Schools: Yetman Public School
Attributes Addressed: Self, Self-Directed Learning, Communication, Literacy

Overview:

This initiative seeks to address the specific needs of boys with regard to their perceptions of reading and their skills and processes as effective readers .

In 1996 various data available to the teachers was considered and it became evident that boys had little interest in reading and their skills were not as advanced as the girls . However, they did respond favourably to visual texts and to books being read to them. Reading was seen as something that mothers and teachers (all women ) did. The boys perceived it as a chore that women and girls did more successfully. The school recognised this situation as a problem to be addressed. While the strategies for this initiative were not designed to be gender specific, it became clear that the boys were in the greater need.

The initiative involved programs to improve the boys reading in the following areas: code breaking oral reading reading for meaning (comprehension) critical literacy reading for enjoyment encouragement of home reading motivation to read and write through interaction with an author mutli media authoring Encouragement of fathers' active participation in their sons' reading was also a major focus of this initiative.

Implementation

Reading was targeted across all Key Learning Areas from Kindergarten to Year 6. In 1997 all primary students were tested using the Holborn Reading Scale and the Waddington Reading Test. Students whose reading ages were 1 to 2+ years below their chronological ages were selecetd to participate in an Intensive Reading Progam, a program designed for students who have failed to acquire adequate reading skills through the normal classroom program. A teacher's aide was employed to implement the program with two small groups. Parent support was seen as very important. The program did require a commitment by parents to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes a day to help the students with their daily reading task. The English K&emdash;6 Syllabus was being implemented and teachers were aware of making their teaching explicit.

Students improved between 8 and 27 months in a 9 month period, however, teachers felt that comprehension (making meaning) was still a problem even for the more capable students. They were tested at the beginning of 1998 using the Neale Analysis to try to determine a comprehension age. Teachers suspicions that students were "barking at print" rather than reading for meaning were confirmed.

Also interest in and enthusiasm towards reading had not really improved. The principal had undertaken professional reading about how boys were failing in literacy and decided to make it a target for 1998.

High interest/low reading age reading materials were purchased. Some of the titles purchased were from the following series:

Super Doopers
Omnibus Rippers and Dippers
Bushrangers
Trend
Collins Red and Yellow Storybooks
Solo
Orchard
After Dark

These books formed the core of the guided reading and take home reading programs. They were popular with students, are usually well written and look like "real books" not picture books. In guided reading, reading for meaning was emphasised, as it was throughout the reading program. Participation in home reading increased and library borrowing rates showed an improvement.

A District Guidance Officer conducted a workshop to encourage fathers to participate in the literacy process with their sons. This was attended by nearly half the fathers in the school even though it coincided with a particularly busy farming time. This was designed to raise consciousness, but was also effective in making the teachers more aware of the necessity of improving teaching strategies for boys. Using CAP funding, a male writer was employed to conduct writing workshops. The students were given the responsibility of choosing the author. To do this they had to read the bio&emdash;blurbs for several authors and write to the one they eventually chose. They did not choose the soccer&emdash;playing rock star, but Jonathan Harlen, whose books were in the home reading library. Jonathan generated a great deal of enthusiasm for writing. Students really enjoyed writing action&emdash;based narratives. He also worked on improving the quality of written work. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program the standardised tests were administered again and running records of students' reading have been kept. This enabed the analysis of the cuing systems used by the students. Students are no longer as reliant on poor graphophonics and are reading using an integrated range of skills and strategies. An attitudinal survey could have been done prior to the commencement of the program. However, this was not done as the teachers observe students and discuss reading with them often and felt they had a good knowledge of how the boys felt about, and respond to, text. The Year 5 Basic Skills Test, particularly the student progress maps provided evidence that the strategies employed have worked.

Outcomes :

* all targeted students are competent readers who have a changed attitude towards literacy &emdash; most have achieved Stage 2 outcomes and are working towards Stage 3

* they will now read for pleasure occasionally and are reading a wider range of texts

* they have a wider range of reading strategies

* they have an appreciation of the creative writing process and have interacted with a writer and experienced success in writing

* the school's average level of student progress in Literacy for the group was 11 points compared with the State level of 6.6. in Numeracy the scholol's average level of progress was 14.7 points compared with the State average of 6.5 reflecting students' ability to read and understand questions as well as an improvement in mathematical skills

Future directions:

In the future the school will continue with programs that have been introduced. They still have some way to go in changing attitudes about the school being "women's business". Next year fathers will be encouraged to attend regular workshops for all parents. The boys still need to experience a wider range of text types. The school perceives that it should be purchasing a variety of magazines and newspapers to add to the reading program. Students who are reading well need to be extended. Students need greater critical literacy skills and improved knowledge of multimedia authoring programs. Improving literacy for all students, not only boys, will continue to be a priority at the school, because the community values it, not just the principal and staff.